Motor-vehicle.



3.3mm. MOTOR VEHICLE. APPLICATION FILED AUG-24. I912.

Patented Apr. 24, 1917.

wibne W, (36'.

nowann 'STARK, or rawtme, NEW YORK.

moron-vnmonn.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 'I, How-Ann Pawling, county of Dutchess, and State of New. York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Motor-Vehicles, of which I invention relates it'is the usual practice to construct the side members of the frame of the following is a specification.

This invention relates to motor vehicles and particularly to the chassis or running gear therefor and has for its object to provide a vehicle structure having the combined advantages of a low center of ravity, a -straight line drive and practical Freedom gii'plm liability of side slipping or fskidg. To this end my invention consists of the novelvehicle construction hereinafter 'described and claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which Figure 1 is a plan view of a motor'vehicle chassis v Fig. is a side elevation of the structure shown in Figg'l certain parts being shown throughout the. several views, .1 indicates embodying my invention,-and

insection. g

Referring now to the draw ngs, in which. like reference characters indicate like parts the side members of a motor vehicle frame,

' to the underside of the forward ends of which are-attached'in the usual manner, the springs 2 which rest on the front axle,3, and are attached thereto by means of the clips 4. The side members 1 are cOnnecteo near "their fr iit ends by a cross member 5" to ,Which' ar attached the longitudinal engine supports 6 extending from the member ,5 to

a secondcross member 7 as shown indotted lines in Fig. 2.- Immediately to the rear of the cross member 7 the side members l are curved downwardly at 20 to a plane'below the rear'axleB of thevehi'cleand arethen extended rearwardly beneath the axle. 8F to or inventionflI obtain allthe advantage i the underslung frame without its dangerous 1 tendency to skid; Furtherinore,-myimproved frame is particularly adaptedvfor' the usual distance beyond the axle. connecting the'frame to the axle springs 9 are attached at theiriniddle points to the axle and connected at their ends by dependfranie. v g h i The base casting 11 of the engine 12 1S supported'omthe' members 6 as shown in such manner that the ing links: 10 to the side members l-of-the beneath the cross member 7. The base cast- 11 also extendsbeneath the member 7 and rests on a cross member 13 at its rear 3 end, the rear portion of the casting serving a; part, of the transmission casing. 3 From- ,thQjmnSmiBSlOn the propeller 14 Specification of Letters latent.

STARK, of

engine shaft extends.

Patented Apr. 24, 1917;

Application filed August 24, 1912. eria1 No. 716,815. '7

tends to the differential l5 on the rear axle v I in the'usual manner. To give the necessary rigidity to the frame other cross members 16117 may be provided whenever necessary; so

n motor vehicles of the type to whichmy straight bars supporting them above both axles. It has been demonstratedth'at, when so constructed-there is "a marked tendency for the vehicle to turn; over, particularly when rounding curves,due to the high center of gravity of the load. To overcome this? difliculty some vehicles have been construct-s ed with their frames suspended from both axles, but in. such construction the tendency to"skid or slip sidewise is much increased due to the side thrust coming-more nearly in line with the wheel axles. Such skidding is particularly dangerous when itoccurs with the front wheels. for the reason that it not only changes the direction of'movement of the vehicle; but interferes with the g control of the vehicle throu h the steering g0 ear. Further the weight on the front axle 1s chiefly that of the engine,- andthe centerof gravity of the engine is not atas high a point as that of the load carried in the body of the vehicle which iscarried by'the rear 35 axlearid hence the tendency to upset comes principally from the Weight in the body- With my improved frame -this weight is V lowered quite as muchas with the so called under slung frame,

,ployment of the underslung. frame. in front does not materially lower the center of gravity, because to have the necessary mad clearance the engine ca'nnot be-lowered to any appreciablelextent, the'engine frame being 51 usually supported on stilts from the ma n frame.

' rom theabove it will be plain instant the straight-line drive,..the cross members 7 and 13 'servingfas convenient supports for the engine andtransmission whilei theci'oss member' 16 ;'is entirely beneath and out of;

"prising. a frontaxle with driven Y Moreover, the em- '90 wheels and a rear axle provided with driv- In witness whereof I have hereunto set 10 ing Wheels, :1 frame comprising side inemmy hand at the city of Pawling, county of hers having their'front portions extending Dutchess and State of New York, this 14 above, and supported by, the front axle, and da'y of August, 1912.

their rear portions extending beneath and suspended from the rear axle, springs inter- I HOWARD A posed between the rear axle and the frame \Vitnesses: and cross members connecting such side A. M. Lmcrr,

embers adjacent their respective ends. \VM. T. CHAPMAN. 

